40 comments:

We do a "five minute sweep" meaning we all work in one room for 5 minutes, then we switch rooms. Our house isn't very big, so 30 minutes tops and we can have the whole house picked up. If it is really messy, and we need the whole 5 minutes to pick up, then my hubby or I will go back through and spend a few more minutes vacuuming, but if the whole house is picked up, it is really easy to vacuum quickly!

When I deep clean, I work by task. Never finish one whole room at a time, or you'll end up tracking junk back through as you work on the next room. First everything is picked up, then dusted, then floors.

Great tips. I do several of these and they make a big difference. One thing I do to help with the dishes is go to the dollar store and buy a cheap dish brush for a dollar. I use it to quickly help wipe the bits of food and sauce off my dishes. It makes it so much faster and I can keep my hands dry (or dryer). Since it is so easy and quick it makes it easier to do right away when the food comes off easier anyway. After a few weeks if the brush looks gross or weird I just throw it away since a replacement is just a dollar. We live in an apartment with no dishwasher though so I have to rinse thoroughly.

I feel better if I can clean off the counter tops, put away clothes, vaccum the floors and clean the sinks and toilets. I hardly ever really clean, but just having the floors, counter tops and sinks clean, provides me with a sense of calm.

I totally agree with the dishes. I hate doing them, but i hate them hanging around even more. I don't have a dish washer (mid century home that we swore we'd put a dish washer in when we bought it.....5 years and a baby ago) but i splurged on Meyer's Basil dish soap that smells fantastic, and it's a little therapeutic. and it's great when it's clean in the morning. Nice article!!

I keep a large box on top of our shredder. When the mail comes, I go into the shredder room, dump all unwanted mail, and extras from the mail I'm holding onto, and a few times a week I go to the shredder, shred everything in the box and take them out to the recycle bin. Saves so much paper clutter all around the house!

I once read if the chore takes 2 minutes or less, go ahead and do it RIGHT THEN WHEN YOU NOTICE IT. It's one trick I use to keep my house tidy on on an ongoing basis. It forces me to go ahead and pick up the shoes I have taken off by the door, sweep the kitchen, put away the dishes, dust a table top, etc...

2 things. When my step sons left their things out overnight, I charged them a dime to get the iten(s) back. I did not get rich but the common areas of the house were picked up.Junk mail. I save it in a basket beside my TV chair. As I watch TV, I open each piece. Most all have self addressed postage PAID envelopes inclosed. Find the piece with your name & address printed on it. Draw a line through your info, but make sure it is still readable, write "Please remove my name from your mailing list" and place ALL that came out of the envelope + the outer envelope into the return envelope and mail it back. It may take a few months but I now receive about 1 maybe 2 pieces of junk mail a month.

Your rule for daily clean up is not new to me...I've read it I don't know how many times, but here I am needing the reminder ;) I have to say coming from an OCD super clean freak home, I couldn't bring myself to do that dishwasher thing...at least not yet, but it bears considering. My FAVORITE cleaning tip is (drum-roll please)...old socks!! Whether I use one for a starter when cleaning my oven fan hood thingy, or to shine up my tile, I just love 'em :D I have found that often times I can use much less cleaning product, but I will say this, depending on how big of a job you will be doing you might need a lot of socks. Once our socks get looking worn out, or ripped (I wash them ;) and then I just commit them to my rag pile and turn them inside out for cleaning use.

WOW thank you so much I was just about to go through my socks and sort them out to chuck away, I have NEVER thought of doing this! Smacking palm against forehead "why have I never thought of this"!!!!!! Thank you :D :D

I totally agree with the fact that dirty dishes make your house look messy, but since that's my oldest son's job (loading the dishwasher) I often go all day until he comes home from school with dishes in the sink. To keep them from driving me nuts I place them all on one side of the sink and set a serving tray on top. Not only does this keep me from seeing them it gives me some extra counter space.

We have "Clean Up, Clean Up" time. Every night after dinner we set a timer for 10 minutes (sometimes a little less or more depending of the state of the house). The whole family works together to clean up the kitchen and straighten up anything that is out of its place in the house. Doing this every night really keeps our clutter to a minimum. On nights when there is not much to pick up, we use the time to vacuum or dust.

I also set the timer for myself. I'm a 28 year lady who lives alone, but I am laazy. I set the timer for twenty or thirty minutes and do whatever I can in that time. And it works. Sometimes treating yourself like a child really works! I also created an after work routine. Get the mail, sort the mail, fill up the sink, start the washer, change into work out clothes, wash the dishes, put dinner in the over, work out, put the clothes in the dryer, eat dinner and then watch tv while I fold the clothes!

I do not mind doing dishes even though we do have a dishwasher. I run the sink with VERY hot water and dish soap. Put all the dishes that I want into it. Using rubber gloves, I than see how fast I can wash them. Stack them in the other sink. Fill the soapy side with more dishes, and rinse the others and stack to dry. I put all flatware, and knives along the front of the sink so I will always know where the knives are to prevent accidents. By the time I finish the second batch of dishes, the first are dry enough to put away with very little drying of the towel. When cleaning the house, I keep a note pad handy. When I am doing one chore, and see something else I want to do, I will write it down on the pad and continue on and finish the task I am doing. When I finish, I go to what ever is on my list that I feel is most important. This method keeps me from jumping from one thing to another and not finishing the first job completely. If it is on my list, I know I wont forget to do it and I stay more focused. Even if I dont get to it today, I can pickup the list again tomorrow.

When I get up from my chair, I gather everything around and take it to where it belongs.

GREAT DISH-WASHING TECHNIQUE!! My variant is to wash all sharp knives, dry them and put them away while the sink is fillingI. Place utensils on the right and feel gently for table knife handles and do them before the rest of the the table utensils. Touch the utensils gently with the back of your hand to locate them so you know where things are before grabbing. Only takes a second!

I keep socks for cleaning. I cut some open for bigger jobs. I dampen a few when I get up in the morning and roll them up so they get evenly damp. Then when I clean they pick up the dust and finger smudges. You can slip one over a dust wand to dust moldings, window sills etc. Pick up everything as you go.

Home depot have a fabulous mold and mildew cleaner it is under 2 dollars it's thier own brand and I use it with magic eraser quick and painless. I clean for a living and have found it to be the best do far good luck

I dust, vacuum and mop my floors, do any dishes, then I open the windows up and light a yummy candle (Wal-Mart actually has cheap ones and they will really scent the house!! More than other expensive candles I've had). When I mop I use mr. Clean with freeze or Lysol lemon... makes it smell ultra clean!! This whole routine is about 1/2 hour depending on dishes

The shower is one of my worst chores. If you clean it really good and use car wax on the walls, it will help repel suds and water. I also keep a squeegee in the shower and the rule is the last person to take a shower in the morning sqeegees the shower doors. I find it so much easier to keep up with it than to have to scrub it out once a week.

Few people know this but I am a very lazy girl. I have invented amazing shortcuts (I think) to avoid work. Loved your suggestions and here is one of mine. If you have a dishwasher (I know it is such a drag to empty it) but I use my empty dishwasher to just throw everything in, dirty pots and all so I can hand wash those larger items (including items we need to hand wash so as to have handy for meal prep. such as chef knives, potato peelers, measuring cups etc) in the morning or when I feel like it or when I absolutely MUST do it. lol Enjoy being lazy. It is an art.

My best method for cleaning fan blades is to use a pillow case. Encase each blade and wipe top and bottom at the same time. When you are finished with one fan, take the pillow case outside, turn in inside out and shake it. Then return it right sides out and go to the next one. Always shake the dust out after cleaning each fan. When you're finished, take the pillow case outside for a good shake and add to the washing machine tub when doing a load of towels. You will not just distribute the dust all over the floor, furniture, etc. when cleaning!

I buy cheap thin washcloths at WalMart (18 for $4.00) and keep them under my sink to clean up spills, clean counters, dust....whatever needs to be cleaned. Cheaper than paper towels and they have endless uses!

My tips:- own less. Become a minimalist. Works for me :) The less you own, the less to clean!!!- only purchase: vinegar and baking soda. Cleans everything and replaces windex, laundry detergent, kitchen and bthrm cleaners etc! I use vinegar for all my cleaning and baking soda only for my once a year oven deep clean as well as with vinegar for drain clogger.

I declutter papers while watching TV. My bathroom used to be impossible to clean - I started blowing the exhaust fan out periodically with Dustoff and it makes a huge difference. The dust was blowing all over the room and then when you try to wet clean it, it turns to mud. I also vacuum the bathroom floor and I don't have to wet mop it as often. I do "Walk with Wipes" which is walking around for about 5 minutes at a time with cleaning wipes and wiping any little spots up. Makes a huge difference in the kitchen. I use a dish scrubber (the kind where you would normally put detergent in the handle) in the shower - just rub the walls and tub with it when I feel like it while I'm showering - you can use dishsoap, but cheap shampoo also works great on soap scum. For laundry, I sort more by weight than color - towels are separate from button down shirts, for example - unless there is lint. Helps cut down on wrinkles. I hang clothes right away when they come out of the dryer. I also use a clothes steamer which saves TONS of time over ironing. Thanks for the Groupon tip. My plan is to pay somebody to deep clean a couple of times a year so that I just have to maintain it.

I clean other peoples home too and the thing I like to clean showers with ( after trying LOTS of stuff) is bathroom magic erasers. They are cheap, work well, smell good.. I think it works better than spraying strong chemical stuff all over too, which I have tried and it always bothers me bc it's too strong and doesn't work half the time anyway. After you use the magic eraser ( kind made for soap scum) apply rain x to glass doors and it will stay clean longer.